Wednesday, September 14, 2011

"You Can Walk Down Beale Street, Honey, Wearing Your Pajamas..."

The poet Chuck Berry's "mamas" were always encouraging (borrowing money to buy Johnny's guitar, telling him his name would be in lights some day, standing and waiving at the kitchen door...).

So was mine. It's her birthday.

Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite Chuck Berry songs from the otherwise sad Mercury years. (This one would would really nice done slow, with horns, on a new record!) On the Memphis record it was done fast, with horns and great rhythm guitar. The words are perfect poetry.

Back to Memphis

I've been struggling up here, child, trying to make a livingEverybody wants to take, nobody likes givingI wish I was in Memphis back home there with my MamaThe only clothes I got left that ain't rags is my pajamasNo brotherly love, no help, no dangerJust a great big town full of cold hearted strangers

I went hungry in New York and Chicago was no betterBut today, my dear mother wrote and told me in her letterSon, come back to Memphis and live here with your MamaYou can walk down Beale Street, honey, wearing your pajamasYou know home folks here, we let do just what you want toAnd I born you and raised you right here on the corner

I'm going to leave here in the morning and walk down to the stationI've got just enough money to pay my transportationI'm going back to Memphis, back home with my MamaIf I have to ride that bus barefooted in pajamasBack home in Memphis, no moaning and groaningI know everything will be all right in the morning

By the way-- my dear mother always accepted me and my Chuck Berry problem. ("Home folks here we let you do just what you wanna!") After seeing the opening scene of "Let The Good Times Roll," where Chuck Berry plays "School Day," she admitted to being downright thrilled. "I think now I understand why you get so excited about it," she told me. "That was powerful!"

She'd be 96 today. That's why it's so cool he's still out there singing those great songs.

5 comments:

The people who say that have to ignore this one, and Nadine, Promised Land, and You Never Can Tell, and No Particular Place to Go, and Tulane, and Have Mercy Judge, and My Poem, and Oh Louisiana, and Bio, and Got it and Gone, and Move It-- and about 15,000 live shows, made up on the spot, with new musicians just about every time. For anyone else, that's a legendary career all by itself.

And Guys please don't forget "Chucks poems" that he sometimes recites Live, They are truly wonderful a couple of which can be found in his book on pages 325 onwards, but the one he has recited Live is not there....I know the last verse like "sitting on a rocking chair....and from ......to Shai and so on I am sure you know the one I mean Peter...? Ps Thank for your Post reply{Minding your own business} Great work as usual Stefano

About Me

I've been a little obsessed with Chuck Berry since I was 14 and saw him play a sad set at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium many many many years ago. This blog is my personal tribute to the man and his music. He really did wind up equalling the influence of Beethoven. And Tchaikovsky? Not even close.
Write me at goheadon(you know the drill)rocketmail.com (I might not check it often, but I'd like to hear from you.)